Chiefs 2024 Roster Projection 3.0: Final Calls Ahead of Cutdowns

With the preseason in the books and roster cuts on the horizon, let's take one final crack at projecting the Chiefs' 53-man roster for 2024.

Oct 12, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justyn Ross (8) celebrates with fans while leaving the game after the win over the Los Angeles Chargers at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 NFL preseason hype is winding down, and that means the regular season is on the horizon. Before that, however, all 32 teams must participate in one of the most action-packed stretches of August.

By 4:00 p.m. ET on August 27, clubs have to pare their rosters down to 53 players. That means Tuesday will be a busy day around the league, and the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs are no different. Plenty of difficult decisions will be made based on performances in training camp and three preseason outings.

With that in mind, who will make the Chiefs' initial 53-man roster? The Kansas City Chiefs On SI crew takes a third and final look to recalibrate and make new predictions as cutdowns approach.

Quarterback (2)

Patrick Mahomes, Carson Wentz

NO CHANGES

Joshua Brisco: Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in football, and Carson Wentz is one of the NFL's best backups. Chris Oladokun is the obvious choice for KC's practice squad emergency quarterback, but he couldn't have filled the coaching staff with confidence during his underwhelming preseason performances.

Running back (3)

Isiah Pacheco, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Carson Steele

CHANGES: Deneric Prince OUT

Jordan Foote: Kansas City's final preseason game was yet another good outing for Carson Steele, who Andy Reid seems to be more and more a fan of by the day. The undrafted rookie from UCLA is making the 53-man roster with ease. Deneric Prince, on the other hand, simply never stood out in three preseason games. Assuming Clyde Edwards-Helaire is healthy come Week 1, the Chiefs can get by with Prince being on the practice squad and freeing up a spot elsewhere.

Wide receiver (7)

Marquise "Hollywood" Brown, Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Justin Watson, Mecole Hardman, Skyy Moore, Justyn Ross

NO CHANGES

Brisco: There's not much left to debate regarding the Chiefs' top six wide receivers, and I've grown borderline nihilistic about the seventh spot. With Hollywood Brown likely sidelined for at least Week 1, it makes sense to carry seven receivers, but our choice for the final spot — Justyn Ross — simply cannot block or play special teams, and he had to be re-aligned by Mecole Hardman before the team burned a timeout in the preseason finale. In a similar sense to Kadarius Toney, Ross's physical tools are enticing, but it's hard to bet on the full package coming together.

Nikko Remigio, an undersized fan-favorite through much of training camp, is a practice squad shoo-in as a potential special teams weapon. I would have heard an argument for keeping Remigio over Skyy Moore, but with Hardman and Moore appearing to be the team's picks, Remigio becomes a bit too redundant to take a roster spot.

Tight end (3)

Travis Kelce, Noah Gray, Jared Wiley

NO CHANGES:

Foote: With Jared Wiley having a quiet preseason and three tight ends being somewhat iffy for depth purposes, it's tempting to sneak Irv Smith Jr. back on this list. With that said, he didn't have a very strong preseason either and makes a ton of sense as a practice squad piece. This likely won't be the last time anyone sees Smith this year; the next could be via an elevation for gameday.

Offensive line (9)

Kingsley Suamataia, Wanya Morris, Jawaan Taylor, Lucas Niang, Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith, Mike Caliendo, Hunter Nourzad

NO CHANGES

Brisco: For much of the offseason and preseason process, second-year tackle Wanya Morris was largely seen as a foil for rookie left tackle Kingsley Suamataia, who — in good news for KC — clearly took the starting LT job. Now, Morris is a premium backup for the Chiefs, and his knee injury against the Bears was cause for serious concern until Andy Reid provided a positive update after the game.

Morris certainly projects as KC's swing-tackle and could even end up being the team's best guard backup if he continues to see reps in the interior. The Chiefs' top six spots are solid, though the rest of the depth largely struggled throughout the preseason. Those struggles reached rookie seventh-round pick C.J. Hanson, who we have the Chiefs trying to land on the practice squad in favor of more pro-ready players while the rookie develops.

Defensive line (10)

George Karlaftis, Mike Danna, Malik Herring, Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Truman Jones, Chris Jones, Derrick Nnadi, Tershawn Wharton, Mike Pennel, Neil Farrell Jr.

CHANGES: Truman Jones IN

Foote: One of our main changes this time around is adding Truman Jones, who benefits from Prince going to the practice squad. Felix Anudike-Uzomah looked behind schedule this preseason and Charles Omenihu isn't walking through the door for a while. Jones, an undrafted free agent from last year, sets a quality edge in the run game and could be a nice depth piece if he's available following a knee injury that held him out of Thursday's loss to the Chicago Bears. This gives Steve Spagnuolo and Joe Cullen an even five edge and interior players each to work with.

Linebacker (6)

Nick Bolton, Drue Tranquill, Leo Chenal, Jack Cochrane, Cam Jones, Cole Christiansen

NO CHANGES:

Brisco: The Chiefs could survive without six linebackers on the active roster, but while filling out the final spots on the 53-man roster, special teams ability and the endorsement of defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo are great tie-breakers. Curtis Jacobs is the player outside looking in on this group. When Spagnuolo discussed Jacobs earlier this month, he made it sound like Jacobs could use a bit more time developing while learning a wider variety of roles in the defense, making him a prime practice squad candidate.

Cornerback (6)

Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, Joshua Williams, Nazeeh Johnson, Kelvin Joseph, Keith Taylor

CHANGES: Nic Jones OUT, Keith Taylor IN

Foote: While Kelvin Joseph's multiple holding penalties in Kansas City's final preseason game didn't help him, he barely keeps his roster spot here. The former early-round draft pick stood out to Spagnuolo during the offseason and still offers some upside if harnessed. The big shake-up is Keith Taylor for Nic Jones. The former simply got more opportunities and made more plays this preseason. Jones offers special teams versatility and can play the nickel so it's hard to keep him off the team, but we're doing so in this final projection.

Safety (4)

Justin Reid, Bryan Cook, Chamarri Conner, Jaden Hicks

NO CHANGES

Brisco: While veteran Deon Bush could earn a roster spot thanks to his special teams aptitude, he should be a no-doubt practice squad member while leaving an extra bit of opportunity available for rookie Jaden Hicks, who will also be a core special teamer in 2024. This top-four would stand up against any safety group in the NFL, with Bush as a worthy fifth member who could be ready for a game day elevation when the season arrives.

Specialist (3)

Harrison Butker, Matt Araiza, James Winchester

NO CHANGES

Foote: No changes here, as expected. Randen Plattner was recently signed to fill in for James Winchester (AC sprain) in the preseason finale, but no one in the Chiefs building was worried about the veteran missing Week 1. Elsewhere, Matt Araiza was excellent in August and will complement Harrison Butker well as an intriguing punter-kicker duo for 2024.

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